Method of storing and burning combustible mixtures



Feb. 9, 1937. A. N. KERR METHOD OF STORING AND BURNING COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES Filed Nov. 13, 1935 3mm/m JY.' .Kerr

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Sum/Wp Patented Feb. 9, 1937 METHD F STORMG AND BURNING COMUSLE MIXTURES o Arthur N. Kerr,- Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Phillips Petroleum Company,

Bartlesville,

Okla., a corporation of Delaware Application November 13, 1933, Serial No. 697,869

6 claims.

This invention relates to improvements` in heating systems employing as fuel relatively nonvolatile hydrocarbon oil intimately mixed with liquefied hydrocarbon gases in such a Way as to give a predetermined vapor pressure, and the present application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 637,797, led October 14, i932.

One of the objects of the invention is to mix the components of my improved mixture in a closed storage chamber or storage zone, and to employ both gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons in such proportions and in such a Way that the mixture will remain in liquid condition until discharged at the burner. For this purpose, I preferably employ liquid hydrocarbons of the nature of kerosene in intimate admixture with liquefied petroleum gases of the nature of butane, propane or mixtures thereof.

Kerosene is an inexpensive fuel and is commonly burned in wick-type burners. It and heavier, less volatile oils are difficult to burn in generating burners, but are often utilized as fuel by forcing' at high pressure through small orifices. I am aware that these heavy oils have been mixed with volatile oils in heating systems, but the mixing has been accomplished at or near the burner, and separate containers have been used for the separate liquids.

I have found that by adding to the oil a certain proportion of a liqueed combustible gas such as propane or butane, that the mixture is much more readilyvaporized and burned. The average flash vaporization temperature of the mixture is much lower, the liquefied gas aiding materially in vaporizing the mixture in a generating device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heating system in which a relatively non-volatile hydrocarbon oil of the nature of kerosene in intimate admixture 'with liquefied hydrocarbon gases of the nature of butane or propane may be stored in liquid condition in a storage zone, andv may be fed in liquid condition through a restricted passageway to vthe zone of combustion, and wherein the heat resulting from burning of the mixture will raise the temperature of a generator forming part of the burner, so that the liquid hydrocarbons, as well as the normally gaseous hydrocarbons Will readily burn'within a very short time after the burner has been ignited.

arated out of the hydrocarbon liquids may be' employed directly to start the burner, and such (Cl. s-117.5)

gas may be fed to the burnerA directly from the mixture storage tank. If it is desired, however, to maintain the mixture in the storage tank absolutely uniform, then the gas for ignition purposes may be fed to the burner from a smaller tank. In either event, the gas fed to the burner at the beginning will function to preheatthe generating tube so thatA the liquid hydrocarbons, when subsequently fed to the burner in admixture with the liquefied gas, will be suiiiciently .m heated in passing through the generating tube to readily vaporize.

Another object of the invention is to provide a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons containing enough dissolved gas so that when passed cold to 15 the burner, it may be lighted and will burn, the unvapo'rized oil being led away to a reservoir until such time as the burner becomes suiiiciently hot to vaporize the liquid hydrocarbons of the mixture.

A still further object is to supply a heatingv system of the above mentioned character, wherein gaseous hydrocarbons from the mixture tank may be fed to the burner through one tube, and the mixture be fed to the burner through a second tube, said tubes being associated with a thermostatically controlled valve, whereby after the g burner is started with gas, the valve will function to cut oi the flow of gas to the burner and to admit the ow of the mixture to the burner.

AWith the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation partly in vertical section of one form of a suitable apparatus for practicing my process.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the i thermostatically controlled valve.

relatively non-volatile combustible oil in the tank.

Said gases are introducedinto the pipe by means of a tube 8 which extends through a pressuretight joint 9 atthe top of the tank, and has externally of the latterfa valve I and a part I I of a A pipe joint. e

oils and gases may be varied, so long as the mixture may be fed througha tube'in liquid condition and will ignite when exposed to flame.

A gas conducting pipe I5 has one of its ends connected to the top of the tank so as to lead gas in gaseous condition from the latter, and the other end of this pipe lterminates in an orice member I6 which extends into the inlet of the mixing chamber of a burner I8 having. outlet apertures I8a. Valves I9 and 2i), interposed in the pipe I5, when opened, permit gas to flow from the tank to the burner, and such gas may be ignited for the purpose of starting the burner.

For the purpose of feeding the mixture of normally gaseous hydrocarbons and normally liquid hydrocarbons in liquid condition from thetank, two pipes 2l and 22 dip into the tank, and the outer end portions of these pipes are connected to a common feed pipe 2d by means of va cross pipe 23 in which valves 25 and 26 are interposed. As one of the pipes, 2l, dips into the tank deeper than the other pipe 22, this arrangement will enable the operator to determine when the liquid level of the mixture is getting low, and notify him of the necessity of recharging the tank.

Pipe 2s leads to the casing si of a thermostatically controlled valve 28, and the pipe has a valve 29 for controlling the ow of mixture through the pipe. When the valve 2&3 is opened,

Athe mixture can ow through a tube 30 to the generating tube by means of a pipe 3d that leads .into the mixing chamber of the burner and terminates in an loriice member 35.

In order thatvthe heat generated may be employed to control the valve 2t, I extend a thermostatic rod 35 from the generating tube toward the casing 37 of the Valve 28, shown in detail in Fig. 2. This casing has a chamber 3d in which there is a valve seat 35 cooperating with a valve head du having a stem di that is moved in one direction by the expansion of the rod d@ to allow the mixture to ow from the pipe 2li to the pipe 5d. A portion #32 of the valvey casing acts as a guide for the valve-stem, and another portion d3 of the casing forms a chamber to house a coil spring d6 .which acts to yieldingly urge the valve head lil towards its seat. 0bviously, when the burner is not in operation, the rod 35 is contracted and the spring lid holds the valve head against its seat and prevents ythe 52 intotank 46. By closing valve I9A the gas which boils out of the liquid under reduced pressure may be used for starting the burner, passing through pipe I5 in the usual manner. After starting the burner thus, the liquid which gathers from the mixture in tank 46, can be discharged by way of pipe 53 having a valve 54, or it can be fed directly `to pipe 52, 50, in which valve 5I is interposed.

In further reference to thev auxiliary tank 46 it may be noted that lit is di'lcult to start some burners with a mixture of the type which I employ, and burners, as a general proposition, have to Ibe especially manufactured for my purposes. If I take an ordinary gasoline or kerosene burner of the generating type, it will not start to burn blue. Therefore, I employ the extra tank t6. This tank permits the Withdrawal of some of the fuel from the main storage tank for the purpose of starting the burner Without materially decreasing the pressure in the main tank. It is important that this pressure be maintained at about 30 pounds, and if propane was removed for starting, it might be used continuously, and thus the pressure in the main tank might be lowered to 10 pounds before the operator realized that the pressure had been reduced too low for -ates on propane, pure kerosene and propane gas.

Where proper mixtures of relatively non-volatile combustible oil, such as kerosene and liquefied combustible gases are used in proper ratios, such as about oil to about 15% gas, this mixture may be ignited in the burner without preheating the latter by means of gas through pipe I5. lTherefore, I can connect the pipe 2d anterior to the valve 29 to the pipe Si? by means of a pipe 59 which will lead from pipe 2d to a T-tting 5I on the pipe 3d. Valves 523 and 5@ will be interposed respectively in the pipes 59 and '36), so that the thermostatic valve 2t may be by-passed to permit the liquid mixture to be fed directly from the storage tank to the orice 55.

In starting the apparatus, in case some of the oil fails to vaporize and burn, it can be drained on? from the burner through a pipe 55 into a tank 55. From the foregoing it is believed the invention may be readily understood, and I am aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a method of the character described, storing in a pressure chamber a relatively nonvolatile combustible oil of the nature of kerosene in intimate admixture with a liqueed combustible hydrocarbon gas, feeding said mixture in liquid condition through a restricted passageway, vaporizing the mixture and admixing it with -a supporter of combustion, and then burning the nal mixture.

2. In a method of the character described, storing in a pressurechamber a relatively nonvolatile combustible oil of the nature of kerosene in intimate yadrnixtulre with `a liqueed combusible gas of the nature of propane or butane, the oil being present in the mixture in larger per cent by weight than the am, feeding the mixture in liquid condition from said chamber under pressure set up by the regasiilcation of said liquefied gas, through a restricted passageway, vaporizing the mixture and admixing it witha sup :f porter of combustion, and then burning the nal mixture.

3. In a method of the character described, storing in a pressure chamber a relatively nonvolatile combustible oil ot the nature of kerosene in intimate admixture with a liqueed combustible gas of the nature of propane or butane, the oil forming at least of said mixture by weight, feeding the mixture in liquid condition from said chamber under pressure set up by the regazsication of said liquefied gas, through a restricted passageway, vaporizing the mixture and admixing it with a supporter of combustion, burning the iinal mixture in a combustion space, and draining the unvaporized portion of said oil from said space during the starting oi the combustion operation.

4. A method of the character described, comprising storing a mixture of hydrocarbon oil and a liqueed normally gaseous hydrocarbon fluid in a pressure container, feeding said mixture through a passageway. admixing a supporter oi combustion with said mixture, and burning the ilnal mixture after it discharges from the outlet epd of the passageway.

5'. In method of the character described, storing a mixture of normally liquid hydrocarbons and a liqueed normally gaseous hydrocarbon iluid, feeding said mixture in liquid condition from storage under the pressure set up by the regasiication of said fluid, passing the mixture through a vaporizing chamber, admixing air with said mixture and burning the nal mixture after it leaves the vaporizing chamber.

6. In a method of the character describe storing in a pressure chamber a mixture of normally liquid hydrocarbons and a liqueiied normally gaseous hydrocarbon uid, the normally liquid hydrocarbons in the storage chamber constituting about by weight of the mixture. feeding said mixture in liquid condition from the storage chamber under the pressure set up by the regaslcation of said fluid, passing the mixture through a vaporizing chamber, admixing air with the mixture, and burning the nal mixture after it leaves the vaporizing chamber.

ARTHUR N. KEER. g5 

